Shocked, we all watched Luka as he continued.
“We're all puppets. That’s what the play is saying.” He threaded his meaty fingers together. “You can never be truly free. Suicide is one way to rebel, but even committing suicide depends on others.”
“I’m impressed, Luka.” I nodded. “I think you have a point.”
He waved the compliment away. “I’ve seen this puppet show before. Kazimir explained it to me, then.”
The mention of Kazimir had me turn in his direction. The stage was now empty. The lights slowly came back on. His uncle had his attention in that moment, discussing something.
X laughed. “Who else thought that the puppet was going to escape after he pulled all the strings off?”
I was about to agree with him when Max nudged me. “Yo, what’s up with those three in the corner? Don’t make a show of looking.”
I checked and spotted three men. One wore black, the other wore white, and the final was in red. Capes covered them with the same matching colors. A mask with their designated color hid their face. They didn’t stare our way; instead, they watched Kaz and his uncle.
“I saw something like that in Valentina’s children’s book. It was three guys in the book. One in white. One red. And the other in black.”
“That’s weird,” I said.
“Or is it?” Max asked. “We did just finish watching a puppet show.”
I studied them some more. “There’s guns under those capes.”
“Most definitely.”
“Igor’s men?”
“It doesn’t look like it.”
“Valentina’s men?”
“Maybe, but then that doesn’t explain her absence.”
I checked the table. Oleg stood around, but I didn’t see Valentina. “She already left?”
“Yeah, and I’m her alibi. I guess I’m supposed to say she was with me the whole time.”
“This is weird, but wouldn’t someone have said something if this was out of the norm?”
“True.”
I was about to forget about the three men until they made a move. All three walked in unison, fast and glancing over their shoulders. Quick, they marched in the direction of Igor and Kaz.
No one appeared to care or notice.
“You see that?” I gripped my gun. “This doesn’t look okay, but maybe I’m bugging.”
Max moved his hand under the table, surely grabbing his own weapon. “We’re strangers here.”
“True, but still…this doesn’t look right.”
“We’re at a dinner. We can’t just stand up and shoot motherfuckers because they look crazy. Everyone here looks crazy.”
“True.” My heart hammered as the men continued to get closer.
One of Kaz’s guards turned their way and stepped to the man in black.
The red guy opened his cape and pulled out an AK-47. Bullets sprayed.
“No!” I jumped from the table with my gun.
Everything happened so fast. People screamed. Others rushed. I figured Max was on my side, rushing with me as I raced over the stage, aiming my gun.
The men had shot down most of Kaz’s guards. I wasn’t sure who else had gotten harmed.
I checked my side. “Max?!”
“Here.” He shot at one of the caped men.
“Where’s Kaz?”
“Someone pushed him under the table.”
“Where?”
“There.”
We raced that way, shooting. Bucking our guns. Not even knowing if those were the men to kill or not. In Harlem, three men with angry faces and dressed in black had been doing some sort of drive by. One just shot and asked questions later. Better safe than sorry. That was why I never wore black to an event.
This time, we looked to be right. The men ducked from our guns and ran in Kazimir’s direction, pointing their guns his way. I glanced where he was sitting. The chair was empty.
The lights blinked off and on. Guns shot. Bullets sprayed. People screamed. Many crawled on the floor to their escape. Others fled over the stage, knocking over tables.
Fuck this!
Pushing through a fleeing crowd, I ran off and vaulted over a table. Max followed. Plates and glasses crashed to the floor.
We reached Kaz’s table. It was empty under it. Fear sank in my heart.
Max and I ducked under it. My hands shook. “Where is he?”
“The Russian?” Max squinted.
“Yes.”
“He’s been behind you the whole time”
“What? How—?”
Arms grabbed my waist. I fell to the side. Kazimir caught me before I fell to the floor and pulled me back up. The lights shut off. Kaz pulled me to him. Even in the dimly lit darkness, I knew it was him—his scent, the hardness of his muscled chest.
“Kaz?!”
He slipped his hands over my body as if checking for wounds. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” Shivering, I looked at him, trying to see if he’d been hurt. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” His hand stopped at my hand. “You’ve got a gun.”
“I do.”
“I said no guns.”
“No, you didn’t, but meanwhile you said you would be safe, and you weren’t.”
“Good catch.”
“I try.”
“Don’t worry.” He hugged me. “Xavier will be fine.”
“What?” I left his arms, rose, and looked in X’s direction.
The lights came back on. Kaz let me go. Three of his men were down. Uncle Igor had gotten hit in his chest. Two of his men carried him out. Luka and Oleg carried a bloody X out too. His body spasmed in Luka’s grip.
“No!”
Kaz grabbed me. “He’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
“Fuck. Fuck.” I climbed out of his hands, searching for the motherfuckers in the chaos. “There was blood around his chest.”
“He’ll make it.”
“Fuck that shit.” I wanted to talk to Mr. Red, Black, and White more than ever.
There was no way they’d all gotten out. People were still pushing each other away to escape. A few exits were crowded with screaming and crying people.
X is fine. X is fine.
“Fuck!” Revenge gripped my heart as I tightened the hold on my gun. Now they’d messed up even more. First, they’d gone after Kaz and then they’d shot the only person I could ever call my father.
“Fuck that!” I left Kaz’s hold. “Fuck that. Fuck that.”
Kaz watched me with a blank expression.
Max had another gun in his hand. He cocked it. “Where they at, yo?”
I wiped my face and frantically scanned the space. I couldn’t find the guys with the capes. If they were smart, they’d torn it off and tried to blend in.
They weren’t smart.
“There’s one of them!” I caught the tail end of the red cape. Others raced their way. Out of Kazimir’s grip, I was free again. What else would I do but race after the motherfucker that was messing with my happiness?
And while I wasn’t ready to process the idea of happiness and experiencing it with Kaz, I wasn’t going to let someone else destroy the possibilities.